you would also have to hold the tip on what ever you want to sodder for a
longer period of time then the regular tipped pens or irons...the regular
irons are already hot and ready to go so you just have to quickly touch
things together to accomplish the job, whereas with the split tip type, you
would have to hold the tip on the metal surface in order to get it hot, and
then leave it there until the sodder was melted...i dont know, just sounds a
little more cumbersome then a normal soddering pen.
As for the quick cooling feature...well...what i do is just have a tall
heavy bottomed glass cup or jar that i put the pen into when not in use but
when i still want to keep it hot...this way i cant accidentally brush it or
knock it off the working surface.
I am starting to think that this split tip pen might be something that isn't
terribly useful for those who are soddering everything from ten gage ground
wires to component pins in a circuit board.
Regards
Colin
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin McCormick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 8:14 AM
Subject: Re: Quick Cooling Soldering Iron


>         I haven't actually tried one of those but I was interested
> also so I asked about them on the PIC microcontroller list as an
> off-topic message.  I got two replies from people who have them and,
> from what I received, my advice is to not get too excited.
>
>         The tip is a two-piece device with a gap between the two
> poles.  The solder or the work one is soldering is supposed to short
> out the space between the two poles where the heat forms between the
> work or solder and the tip.  One guy told me that the gap is about a
> tenth of an inch such that it wouldn't be good for soldering
> electronic components on a circuit board.
>
>         In other words, they work but only in certain types of
> situations.  I was hoping to replace my Wahl cordless soldering irons
> which work fine, but use nicads that have to be replaced every few
> years when they get to where they won't hold a charge.
>
>         The other drawback to the new soldering tool is that you might
> accidentally introduce 6 volts in to the circuit if one got one pole
> of the tip against some part of that circuit and the other pole
> against some other part instead of creating the short as desired.
> That is more than enough voltage to fry most IC's if misapplied so all
> in all, I was glad to have been told all these things.  The soldering
> tool doesn't cost much, but if it isn't going to work for the purpose
> I would have bought it for, it is a waste of money.
>